Any Experience on "The Great Trail" across Canada?

[exapkib]

A friend showed this (https://thegreattrail.ca/explore-the-map/) to me last night, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about the possibilities.

Does anyone here have experience riding sections of these trails? I'd be particularly interested in riding some of the western sections of the trail--the Cowichan Valley trail, the Kettle Valley Rail Trail . . . seems one could put together a very enjoyable light tour using sections of these trails.

Any experience (positive or negative) with sections of this network?

Thanks!

[guido]

Wow great stuff indeed! Definitely a great resource for long distance tripping... Thanks for bringing it to our attention!

[ultraman6970]

Did not know this at all, looks like an insane way to do miles... would love to do this one.

[veggieburger]

a bit more info:
http://www.mtlblog.com/2016/09/canada-opening-22000-km-car-free-bike-path-across-the-country-in-2017/#

[TEMPLE]

I have ridden most of the CVT and it is really great. The trestles are amazing, and there are some beautiful views. I would hesitate to ride it on a touring bike, though. It's smooth gravel in many sections, but other parts can be loose, washed out or have pretty serious potholes. Some parts are muddy, too. It's a very fast trail on an XC mountain bike, but I think it would be tough on anything with narrower tires.

Just a comment: I am not sure about connections between the CVT and the parts of the Great Trail around Nanaimo. I haven't tried connecting to the CVT yet (I live in Nanaimo), but will soon- I have heard that some parts are still discontinuous. And, from what I can tell from the map, at least one of the trail sections near Nanaimo is actually a fairly technical mountain biking trail. No problem to hike or ride with full suspension, but not anything you could do on a touring bike.

Can't offer too much commentary on the Kettle Valley Rail Trail, unfortunately. I'm hoping to ride some of it next summer. Friends of mine have ridden it and say it is excellent, and about the same level as the CVT. They did encounter quite a few ATVs and such on the KVRT. Hopefully that changes once the Great Trail becomes an official thing.

TEMPLE

[rain dogs]

Echoing what temple said above, I know quite well the different parts of The Great Trail (formally the trans Canada Trail) in British Columbia having grown up in and around Vancouver. I've ridden many sections on the Island, Lower Mainland and interior.

I also have limited experince in Quebec and the east coast.

That trail is a mixed use trail. Not mixed use like "multiple mobility options are appropriate", mixed use like "not passable by any one use except walking/hiking" So if you ride parts expect ot mix it up and hike for some periods.

Don't get me wrong, most of the trail are traffic calmed streets and pathways. But no normal person could not ride end-to-end on a bicycle, any type of bicycle. Some sections (maybe 1% only?) literally need to be hiked.

Also, there are multiple options in some places. It's a great concept and constantly evolving, however, by a road/touring bike you're better to just plan your own best way and enjoy it when you find yourself on it. Or use it as a plan A/B type trip builder. Signage also sometimes is not all that well done, but it's a big project so...

It would be an adventure to cross the country solely on the trail and never leave it at anytime for any reason and see what happened. :banana:

[exapkib]

These are just the types of insight I was hoping to uncover.

Thanks for sharing your experiences.

A couple of specific questions:

--Is the CVT completely passable by bike?
--Is the CVT mostly paved, or a mix of paved and unpaved surfaces?
--What sections would you consider the best 'bang for the buck' for someone coming up from the western US?
--What time of year would you suggest riding through these lower/western sections of the trail?

As far as bike selection, I would be on my Black Mountain monstercross, though your comments have me wondering if some parts of the trail might not be manageable on that bike.

Thanks again for the information--I'm hoping to put something together for next year. Right now, I'm leaning toward meeting up with a buddy in Vancouver and riding as far East as we can--Maybe to Castlegar?



That trail is a mixed use trail. Not mixed use like "multiple mobility options are appropriate", mixed use like "not passable by any one use except walking/hiking" So if you ride parts expect to mix it up and hike for some periods.

Don't get me wrong, most of the trail are traffic calmed streets and pathways. But no normal person could not ride end-to-end on a bicycle, any type of bicycle. Some sections (maybe 1% only?) literally need to be hiked.

Also, there are multiple options in some places. It's a great concept and constantly evolving, however, by a road/touring bike you're better to just plan your own best way and enjoy it when you find yourself on it. Or use it as a plan A/B type trip builder. Signage also sometimes is not all that well done, but it's a big project so...

It would be an adventure to cross the country solely on the trail and never leave it at anytime for any reason and see what happened. :banana:

I have ridden most of the CVT and it is really great. The trestles are amazing, and there are some beautiful views. I would hesitate to ride it on a touring bike, though. It's smooth gravel in many sections, but other parts can be loose, washed out or have pretty serious potholes. Some parts are muddy, too. It's a very fast trail on an XC mountain bike, but I think it would be tough on anything with narrower tires.

Can't offer too much commentary on the Kettle Valley Rail Trail, unfortunately. I'm hoping to ride some of it next summer. Friends of mine have ridden it and say it is excellent, and about the same level as the CVT. They did encounter quite a few ATVs and such on the KVRT. Hopefully that changes once the Great Trail becomes an official thing.

TEMPLE

[TMB]

I live about 1 km from the most popular sections of the Kettle Valley railway and know it very well.

You can send me a PM.

[TEMPLE]

These are just the types of insight I was hoping to uncover.

Thanks for sharing your experiences.

A couple of specific questions:

--Is the CVT completely passable by bike?
--Is the CVT mostly paved, or a mix of paved and unpaved surfaces?
--What sections would you consider the best 'bang for the buck' for someone coming up from the western US?
--What time of year would you suggest riding through these lower/western sections of the trail?

As far as bike selection, I would be on my Black Mountain monstercross, though your comments have me wondering if some parts of the trail might not be manageable on that bike.


How big are the tires on your monstercross? I rode the CVT a bit south of the Kinsol Trestle (south of Duncan) and the trail got better the further south I went. In between Lake Cowichan and Duncan, it was rougher. Near Lake Cowichan, it was smooth gravel again. Gravel all the way, though, and no paved sections anywhere that I can remember. But, the whole thing is completely passable by bike, no problem at all there. The trestles are wooden. I rode a mountain bike with no suspension, with Maxxis Ikon and Aspen tires (i.e., skinny, as far as mountain bike stuff goes).

Keep in mind that there aren't many spots on the CVT that you can get water. There are rivers, obviously, if you don't mind gambling a little, otherwise you have to plan around that. But, the whole trail is nice, so I don't know which section gives the best return. The Kinsol trestle is the biggest and most historically interesting, but the trail is a little boring on either side. The trestles over the Cowichan river are more modern and maybe not as interesting per se, but there are several and the canyons they cross are beautiful. The town of Lake Cowichan is cool and quirky as well. I've only ridden the CVT in the summer, which is nice if you want to swim in the river (highly recommended). The fall colour in the Cowichan valley is impressive by west coast standards. If you like to fish, the river is exceptional.

For touring, I think your best option would be to start in Victoria. You can take the Lochside trail all the way from the Vancouver-Victoria ferry, then on to the Galloping Goose trail to get out of Victoria. Or, if you come from Seattle, you can get on the Goose pretty much right from downtown Victoria where that ferry docks. I think it's easy to connect to the CVT from Victoria (someone with more local knowledge of Victoria might know for sure).

Alternatively, there's also a nice loop through Port Renfrew if you take the Goose towards Sooke (i.e., you ride up west coast of the island instead of the east coast, initially, then you ride across the island and connect to Lake Cowichan after passing through Port Renfrew). Having ridden all over the island, I think the southern sections are more enjoyable and more scenic, even though there is more traffic to deal with if you have to use a major artery to connect quieter sections. The CVT and Galloping Goose are old railroad beds, so both are quite flat. Victoria is reasonable. The farther north you go, the more hills you will have to deal with. There are also excellent route options on the Gulf Islands, which are typically quiet and scenic and add to the possibilities.

Finally, there's a road route that links the CVT with Nanaimo- I believe it's called the Rotary Route. It's just quieter and scenic roads recommended for cycling, which then link to paths as much as possible. It's significantly longer than beelining between Nanaimo and the CVT, but if you don't like highway riding (and I don't) then it's worth looking at.

Anyhow, this is really long-winded! Apologies, but it's a great area to ride and I highly recommend visiting. Let me know if you need more info. I can point you to maps, etc. that might help, and specific spots to visit once you sort your plans out.

TEMPLE

[Lovetoclimb]

What are the options for getting from Victoria to Tofino by bike? Preferably 200km or less riding/day. Ferry rides thrown in are ok.

Or would it be much smarter to ferry from West Vancouver to Nanaimo, then ride on to Tofino?

[mktng]

who would have thought. the trail i take to work everyday spans that distance.